Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R) told CNBC that his state adopted a stricter abortion law this year that reflects the values that people in the state “feel dearly about.”
He added: “These are issues of life that we shouldn’t just measure by economic impact and how Hollywood is going to respond to it.”
Arkansas Democrat Gazette: “An Arkansas county temporarily closed most of its early voting sites after the Democratic nominee for secretary of state was left off the ballot, a glitch the candidate said left her in ‘sheer disbelief.'”
“An official with the Garland County Election Commission said three of the county’s four early voting sites were closed at times Monday because ballots did not include Susan Inman, the Democrat running for secretary of state. The sites have since re-opened.”
“Despite metal detectors and armed guards at the doors to the Capitol and leading to galleries overlooking the Arkansas House, a state lawmaker says he would feel safer if he were allowed to pack his own heat,” the AP reports.
“Republican Rep. Mickey Gates is proposing that lawmakers licensed to carry a concealed handgun be allowed to bring their weapons into the Arkansas Capitol and other publicly owned facilities throughout the state.”
“The Arkansas legislature on Tuesday passed its version of a bill described by proponents as a religious freedom law, even as Indiana’s political leaders struggled to gain control over a growing backlash that has led to calls to boycott the state because of criticism that its law could be a vehicle for discrimination against gay couples,” the New York Times reports.
“The Arkansas bill now goes to the state’s Republican governor, Asa Hutchinson, who expressed reservations about an earlier version but more recently said he would sign the measure if it ‘reaches my desk in similar form as to what has been passed in 20 other states.’ But the bill already faces a significant corporate backlash, including from Doug McMillon, the chief executive of Walmart, the state’s largest corporation, who said Tuesday afternoon that Mr. Hutchinson should veto it.”
Taegan Goddard
Taegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire -- which for more than two decades has been one of the nation's most influential political news sites.
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